Overeating occurs when an
individual
An individual is one that exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of living as an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) as a person unique from other people and possessing one's own needs or g ...
consumes more
calories
The calorie is a unit of energy that originated from the caloric theory of heat. The large calorie, food calorie, dietary calorie, kilocalorie, or kilogram calorie is defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one liter o ...
than the energy that is expended via physical activity or expelled via
excretion
Excretion is elimination of metabolic waste, which is an essential process in all organisms. In vertebrates, this is primarily carried out by the lungs, Kidney (vertebrates), kidneys, and skin. This is in contrast with secretion, where the substa ...
, or when they consume food past the point of satiation, often leading to
weight gain
Weight gain is an increase in body weight. This can involve an increase in muscle mass, fat deposits, excess fluids such as water or other factors. Weight gain can be a symptom of a serious medical condition.
Description
Weight gain occurs ...
and often
obesity
Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...
. Overeating is the defining characteristic of
binge eating disorder
Binge eating disorder (BED) is an eating disorder characterized by frequent and recurrent binge eating episodes with associated negative psychological and social problems, but without the compensatory behaviors common to bulimia nervosa, OSFE ...
,
and it can be a symptom of
bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa, also known simply as bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating (eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, often feeling out of control) followed by compensatory behaviors, such as self-indu ...
.
In a broader sense,
hyperalimentation
Overnutrition (also known as hyperalimentation) is a form of malnutrition in which the intake of nutrients is oversupplied. The amount of nutrients exceeds the amount required for normal growth, development, and metabolism.
Overnutrition can lea ...
includes excessive food administration through other means than eating, e.g. through
parenteral nutrition
Parenteral nutrition (PN), or intravenous feeding, is the feeding of nutritional products to a person intravenously, bypassing the usual process of eating and digestion. The products are made by pharmaceutical compounding entities or standard ph ...
.
Treatment
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders.
Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on challenging and chang ...
, individual therapy, and group therapy are often beneficial in helping people keep track of their eating habits and changing the way they cope with difficult situations. Often overeating and the related binge eating are related to dieting, body image issues, as well as social pressures.
There are several
12-step programs that helps overeaters, such as
Overeaters Anonymous or
Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous and others.
It is quite clear through research, and various studies that overeating causes addictive behaviors.
In some instances, overeating has been linked to the use of medications known as
dopamine agonist
A dopamine agonist is a compound that activates dopamine receptors. There are two families of dopamine receptors, D1-like and D2-like. They are all G protein-coupled receptors. D1- and D5-receptors belong to the D1-like family and the D2-like ...
s, such as
pramipexole.
See also
*
Compulsive overeating
*
Counterregulatory eating
*
Behavioral addiction
Behavioral addiction, process addiction, or non-substance-related disorder is a form of addiction that involves a compulsive behavior, compulsion to engage in a rewarding non-Chemical substance, substance-related behavior – sometimes called a n ...
*
Binge eating
Binge eating is a pattern of disordered eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. It is a common symptom of eating disorders such as binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an exc ...
*
Food drunk
*
Gluttony
Gluttony (, derived from the Latin ''gluttire'' meaning "to gulp down or swallow") means over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything to the point of waste.
In Christianity, it is considered a sin if the excessive desire for food leads to a ...
*
Polyphagia
Polyphagia, or hyperphagia, is an abnormally strong, wikt:incessant, incessant sensation of Hunger (physiology), hunger or desire to eat often leading to overeating. In contrast to an increase in appetite following exercise, polyphagia does not s ...
*
Fasting
Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic sta ...
References
Further reading
* Kessler, David A. ''The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite'' (2009)
External links
*
{{Nutritional pathology
Eating behaviors
Habits
Hyperalimentation